Line in the Sand
by Domesticated Sword
Summary: When a Precog saw the eventual end of the human race, brought on by Parahumans, they contract a Tinker to get all possible Parahumans off the planet, so he builds a ship. Over a hundred and seventy years later, a massive ship arrives at the Citadel. First fic, rated M for swearing and eventual violence
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first attempt at venturing into the world of crossover fanfiction. This is a crossover between Mass Effect and Worm. The Mass Effect is from the beginning of the Mass Effect 1, and the Worm is an AU.** **Any others will be explained as requested.**

 **The poem I use for chapter titles is "The Last Stand" by David Musoke.**

 **DIsclaimer: I own nothing. Not Mass Effect, Not Worm, Not even the poem I use as chapter Titles.**

 **Chapter 1: Crimson Red Drops Stain His Armour**

Contessa stood in front of Scion, seeing him just float there, as seemingly emotionless as always. "Well, big guy, what is it that you want? Come on, surely there is a way we can help you. Why do you spread all your shards around?"

The entity floating in front of her seemed to think for a while, considering whether or not to answer. In the end, it simply said "Not dying."

Contessa nodded. "Okay, so you're trying to avoid heat death, presumably by self-propagating across many people, letting the Shards grow into maturity, and harvesting them when the host dies. Why do you want to destroy us?"

"Want to have purpose."

"Okay, I can work with this. What if, we went somewhere, where you had a purpose? A contained society, where you can harvest shards from the people who die, and there is no need for you to kill anyone. If you just talk to us, we can work something out."

"...Agreement."

* * *

The entity hovered over the planet's surface. The primitive bipeds that inhabited this planet had quickly agreed to begin negotiations, using the one they called Contessa to interpret things between the two groups. It was agreed that a group of humans, large enough for his purposes, would board an immense spacecraft, on a course across dimensions and space. Aboard this ship would also be Scion himself, or at least a manifestation of him, so that newborn infants could receive powers, and the powers of the dead could be safely returned to him.

With that agreed upon, the next step was to engage in a truce with the Parahumans who might not want to co-operate with everyone on board the ship. Tinkers were willing to go along, as it would allow them nearly unfettered access to the materials needed to create the things that their power drove them to make, and so began the construction of the ship. The designs had it being forty kilometres long and, at its thickest, three kilometres thick. Professor Haywire and Dodge began working on pocket dimensions for various things, like storing Scion's real body, and creating extra storage space.

Any capes that did not want to co-operate, like the remnants of Slaughterhouse Nine, were harvested by Scion, allowing him to capture the Endbringers, as it was politely asked by the Earth governments that that problem be solved before the Parahumans left. After that, it was agreed that not much more could be done before the Parahumans left. So, on the first of January, 2015, two million Humans and Parahumans got on the Imperator, and went up into space, on their ongoing voyage across dimensions.

* * *

 **Timeline time!**

 **2011:** More research is done into manned missions to Mars.

 **2030:** The first united Earth government, called the United Earth Government, begins plans to colonize non-Earth bodies, beginning with Luna.

 **2069:** Armstrong Outpost at Shackleton Crater is formally founded as the first human settlement on Luna, on the 100th anniversary of the first lunar landing.

 **2103:** First human colony on Mars, Lowell City, is established in Eos Chasma.

 **2137:** Humanity discovers Helium-3, further aiding their space program.

 **2139:** Fearing an eventual eezo shortage, the Citadel Council plays with the idea of repealing the harsh laws against opening new Mass Relays, but decides against it based on a combination of a lack of dire need, and many Asari Matriarchs fearing another Rachni War, with no signs of a species that could be uplifted to fight for them.

 **2147:** The United Earth Government finds ancient alien ruins on Mars. These ruins, left by aliens known as the Protheans, hint at advanced alien secrets.

 **2148:** With the discovery of Element Zero, and the Mass Effect principle, and faster than light, Humanity is poised on the brink of becoming a truly interstellar species.

 **2151:** The first extra-solar colony, Terra Nova, is birthed, leading to a change in name from the United Earth Government to the Systems Alliance. Work is begun on Arcturus Station.

 **2156:** Arcturus station is completed.

 **2157:** First contact between Humanity and a Council Race. Due to this race being the Turians, and the human ships being in the middle, this quickly devolves into the events that became known as the First Contact War.

 **2183:** Eden Prime war, Saren kills Nihlus, Shepard sees Prothean death note, and is on his way to the Citadel.

* * *

"Citadel Control, This is the _SSV Normandy_ , requesting clearance to dock."

" _Copy that_ Normandy _, passing you on to Alliance Tower."_

"Normandy, _you are cleared to dock at Alliance Tower. Please proceed to an available docking bay."_

Joker smiled. "There you go Commander, one trip to the Citadel, compliments of the Systems Alliance. Please give my regards to the Ambassador."

"Will do. Alenko, Williams, you're with me."

The three of them set foot on the Citadel for the first time of many, and set out for Ambassador Udina's office in the Alliance Embassy. On the way, Shepard took care to purchase an extra fish for his fish-tank, a small goldfish he called Larry. When they arrived at AMbassador Udina's office, they were greeted with the sight of the Ambassador in the middle of an argument, pardon, a "heated debate" with the Council holograms.

"I do not care for the colony's location! Were this an attack on a Turian colony, there is no doubt that the Council would be doing all it could to have the damage fixed and the guilty party brought to justice! Is it so bad that we want the same for our people?"

The hologram of Councilor Tevos spoke up. " _Ambassador, your people were made aware of the danger when they settled in the Attican Traverse. The only people we have conclusive proof of being privy to the attack are the Geth, and we have not nearly enough strength to match them. We will not risk the safety of the galaxy on a foolhardy quest for vengeance."_

It was now Sparatus' turn to go on the offensive. " _As for these claims that Spectre Saren Arterius is in any way linked to the attacks, I believe that you have yet to present evidence that is actual proof, not the crazed ramblings of a traumatised dockworker. We await your presence in the-"_

Whatever it was that the Councilor was going to ask them to do, he was interrupted by a series of sharp tones, as all of them received a message on their omni-tool. The message was short, bearing only the words:

 **UNKNOWN SHIP DETECTED APPROACHING THE CITADEL AT SUBLIGHT SPEEDS. ALL MILITARY SHIPS TO SCRAMBLE IMMEDIATELY, HIGHEST PRIORITY, NO EXCEPTIONS.**

Immediately, with the ease of people who understand when to question orders, and when not to, people from all over the Citadel headed for the docking bays, even people who merely owned civilian ships with minimal weapons attached going out of a sense of duty. Those who had no armed ships began setting up defensive positions across the citadel. While nearly two millennia in the past, everyone was taught that the Rachni Wars were officially started by one ship opening fire on the Citadel. And, without a primitive, violent race to uplift to fight for them, no-one wanted to start another war, with anyone.

* * *

 **Normandy**

It had been five minutes since long-range scanners had detected the vessel approaching, though still no-one could get a visual on it, the nebula distorting any attempts to gain any more information than "There it is!". The _Normandy_ had been one of the first to mobilize, not counting the ships that were always on guard around the Citadel. Just looking at the _Destiny Ascension_ was enough to make one wonder if there was any need for this complete mobilization.

"Joker."

"Aye Captain?"

"Activate the stealth drive, get us closer to whatever this thing is. I want a nice, clear visual that I can report back to the brass with."

"Aye aye, sir."

"Oh, and Joker?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Drop the aye-ing."

GIving a smug little smirk, Jeff "Joker" Moreau engaged the stealth drive.

* * *

 **Imperator**

"Come on, Tracy, just one date? How bad could it be?"

"Will you shut up already! I told you, my idea of a perfect man is not, by any means, a Striker. It's bad enough that I have to put up with my kid brother always freezing my coffee while I'm busy, the last thing I want is more immaturity around me. If I ever want to be annoyed that much, I'll just go try to make a Tinker make sense for once. Anyway, shouldn't you be flying this thing? I thought that was the job you were so glad to get, once they found out your power."

"I know, right? I mean, Helmsman on the _Imperator_ , what more could you ask for?"

Tracy sighed. "Junior Helmsman, Malcolm. Only Junior." While Malcolm could be attractive at times, he was far too big of a nerd to be worth the effort it would take to actually make him presentable, and, while she liked him, she felt that her family, all quite strict, would not approve very well of his rather laid-back attitude. Glancing down at her console, she was shocked at what she saw. "Malcolm?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Umm, there is something coming towards us. Sensors indicate lifesigns, though the nebula is making things more difficult to tell. I think it's a spaceship!"

"Ohh, shit. Umm, what's the standard operating procedure for this?"

"There is none! Oh, why the night shift."

It was indeed the night shift, with only Tracy, Malcolm, and Ben on the bridge, and Ben had fallen asleep at his post, the tactical console, while Tracy and Malcolm ran Ops and Helm respectively. During the day, there would be at least thirty people on the bridge, all working together smoothly to ensure that nothing went wrong, so of course the sudden change in everything they knew would happen on their watch. Sod's law forbade it be any different.

"Okay. Don't panic, nobody panic. We just need to casually engage in First Contact with an advanced alien race."

"What do you mean, advanced? Tracy, there is no way that whatever these aliens can field will in any way surpass all the Tinker-tech we have. Have you seen those books they have in schools now, showing what the _Imperator_ was originally like?"

It was true. A hundred and seventy-two years had passed since the _Imperator_ left Earth, at least according to the history books. In that time, all efforts were constantly made, not only to keep it running, but to improve it, make it better. It became a test for Tinkers, that, by the end of high school, they had designed and prototyped something for the ship. As it was, it did not look the friendliest ship from the outside, something Tracy was becoming aware might be a problem.

"Malcolm, I'll wake Ben, you wake the Captain."

* * *

 **Normandy**

"Captain, you may want to see this."

" _Not now, Joker, just patch it through to the Conference Room."_

"Sir, you will want to be on the bridge for this, I guarantee it."

With much grumbling, Captain Anderson left his letter to his family unfinished, and went to see what Joker had in store for him this time.

"Well, what is it?"

Joker simply pointed out the front window, speechless for once. Following the pointed finger, Captain Anderson saw why.

It was huge, larger than the Citadel, and bristling with, well, anything. The closest resemblance he could think of were the Quarian liveships, and those were only dreadnought-sized. He snorted. Just earlier that morning, he had though dreadnoughts to be the top of the food chain, and the _Destiny Ascension_ to be the queen of those. This thing put every dreadnought to shame. His only thought? "Please let this be a unique vessel. Lord help us if they have a fleet."

"Joker, turn us around, and get us back to the Citadel. I don't care if we have to drop stealth, we have to warn them, And I intend to do that as soon as humanly possible."

As he turned to run and finish that letter, he heard the only words that could, in any way, make the situation worse. "Sir, they would appear to be hailing us."

* * *

 **Imperator**

"Come on, aliens, pick up the phone. I hope that new translator works…"

Captain James Mortland, captain of the Imperator, was waiting anxiously. It had been sixty years since the _Imperator_ last encountered sentient life, and those ones had only been a species that, while showing signs of technological prowess, had yet to take a trip outside their planet's atmosphere. Back then, it had been decided to leave them alone, only littering the surface of their moon with capsules, each with messages from the crew and maps to the other capsules. No contact since.

And now here they were, all ready to go forth once again and begin talks with a member of a race so alien, they had no idea what they might look like, no possible way of finding out…

And then the screen turned on and showed what was quite clearly a human, who seemed just as shocked as him to be seeing a human face on the other end.

"Um, hi, I guess?"

* * *

 **Review, Favourite, and Follow for more!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to the people who reviewed, it made me very happy. I thank you for giving me a better date for the origin of Parahumans in Worm, and I apologize for making such a mistake. I must admit, it has been a long time since I read Worm. I have now gone back and fixed that. Sorry if I offended you. I have decided to go with prologue B, as I do see now, in hindsight, that it makes things much easier.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Like a flood the enemy washes over their defenses.**

* * *

 **Normandy**

"So, this is awkward."

Captain Anderson and the other captain merely stared at each other, both quite clearly in shock. The only person still capable of speech was Joker, although he was just as surprised. Captain Anderson was the first to recover. "Who are you, and how did you get out here? Your ship matches no records of any sort."

The other captain frowned. " _My name is James Mortland, Captain of the_ Imperator _. I would like to find out how you got here, more out of personal interest than anything official."_

"Would you like us to send over our Codex?"

" _That would be wonderful. Do you have a place we can park our ship, or do you want to attach to our ship?"_

"Can you wait here for now? I have to go back and contact my superiors. If possible, please come to a full stop."

" _Understood. We will await your return here."_

With that the communication was cut, the hologram of the other captain vanishing. Anderson's shoulders sagged in relief. "Joker, get us back to the Citadel fleet, and get the Council together. I have the most worrying feeling that they are not going to be happy about this."

"Which part in particular? The estranged humans, or the Citadel-sized warship they arrived in?"

"Both. And get Udina there as well. Heaven knows that he'll be on my arse about this, and I really do not have the patience for it."

* * *

 **Council Chambers**

"To clarify, Captain Anderson, you want us to allow a forty kilometre long warship to pull up alongside the Citadel, and have them send a diplomatic team across? What prompted this reaction, I wonder?"

Anderson sighed. Councilor Valern was digging deeper into it with every question, although this last one seemed like he somehow knew Anderson's reasons, and was giving him a chance to confess. Whether or not he actually was, it would be a good idea to come clean to the Council now, rather than later. "Councilors, as you may know I took advantage of the _Normandy_ 's stealth drive to try and get a closer look at the approaching ship. I saw its size, and began telling my pilot to get us the hell away from it. To my horror and fear, he reported that the ship was hailing us."

"And? Did you reply?"

"Indeed, Councilor Sparatus. I worried that the new species might be offended if I ignored them, and so gave my helmsman the command to respond to the hail. What I saw, it is beyond belief."

"Captain, even by Asari standards I am old, and my fellow Councilors are old by their standards too. I think we can handle anything you can describe."

"They were human. Not humanoid, or like humans, simply human. I looked at the other captain and I saw my own species. From the fact he was just as surprised as I was, I would posit that the ship in question was a generational ship launched before the discovery of the Mars Archives. How such a ship got here, I do not know, nor do I know why it was launched. All I know, is that it is very real, and very much populated with humans."

"Very well Captain. We ask that you contact them, and lead their ship to the Citadel, as well as getting their diplomatic team to us. I should warn you, the Council will hold you personally responsible for any damages caused by these humans.

* * *

 **Imperator**

"Captain Mortland, the _Normandy_ has returned, and is hailing us."

Given that it was still technically the night shift, the other bridge crew had not yet arrived on the bridge, leaving the three members of the night shift alone on the massive bridge, along with the captain.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Put them on screen."

The bridge had clearly been designed by a _Star Trek_ fan, as the bridge was laid out in a similar fashion. Captain in the middle, Stations front, back and sides, and giant viewscreen on the front wall. So, whenever someone put a video call on it, you invariably felt like you were being looked down upon. As was the case now. "Can I assume you have come to tell us something?"

" _Indeed. I have spoken with the Council, and they will allow you to bring your ship closer to the Citadel. I have also been instructed to deliver a diplomatic party from your ship to the Council Chambers. Do you have any pressing questions?"_

"Yeah, just two. One, are there any horrible diseases that we should be worried about over there? And also, how many people are allowed in a diplomatic team?"

" _There should be no problems with diseases, so long as you stay on the Presidium, at least until we can be more clear as to what would be an issue. As for the second one, I think it can be no greater than six."_

"Glad to know. If you just head back to this Citadel of yours, we'll follow at a safe distance. Unless, of course, you just want to land in a hangar and come aboard for a visit?"

" _That, I believe, will be a visit that will have to wait. Maintain a safe distance, I have a very,_ enthusiastic _pilot"_

The screen clicked off, returning to showing the Serpent Nebula in all its gaseous glory, as well as the _Normandy_ wheeling about to head back to the Citadel, whatever that was. "Mr. Wood, follow that ship. Keep it within visual range at all times, but try not to run it over. We have no idea how fast they go, and I would rather not cause a diplomatic incident before we even start. In the meantime, I need to assemble a diplomatic team."

Tracy stood up, and said "Captain?"

"Yes, Ms. Grey?"

"Just call me Tracy, sir. I request that I be allowed on this mission."

"You're a Thinker, right? What was your power again?"

"Instant language translation, sir. I can speak, read or understand any language I hear."

"You know what, Tracy? As much as I hate to stereotype, are you capable of putting the team together? Not to be insensitive, but I have the impression that Thinkers have a network all over the ship."

"Indeed, sir. I'll see what I can put together."

The captain turned to walk away, intending to go have a shower and shave before meeting this Council the aliens had. It was still night for them, although it would seem that the aliens were on the day shift. Blasted non-synced clocks.

* * *

 **Citadel Control**

Wynon T'sara was an Asari Maiden just trying to get through life, pay the bills, and get off the Citadel. So that was why she was working a dead-end job in Citadel Space Traffic Control. This recent panic was the most exciting thing to happen in years, the last one being the arrival of the Systems Alliance diplomatic party

"This is Citadel control, how may I be of assistance?"

" _This is the SSV_ Normandy _, letting you know that what is following us is friendly, and not to be fired upon."_

"Why would we fire on… that…"

Emerging from the nebula was the most massive ship she had ever imagined. It was the size of the citadel, but it was actually moving under its own power. While she had never been particularly religious, she found herself fervently praying to the Goddess. While she would normally have been embarrassed to do so in her workplace, she heard almost every other person in the room with her start praying. Asari, Turians, Humans, Hanar, even the pair of Salarians.

* * *

 **Council Chambers**

"Goddess, I knew it was big, but…"

Like any who could see the _Imperator_ , the three councilors were gazing awestruck at the colossal superstructure. Many people had been impressed when the Asari had unveiled the _Destiny Ascension_ , but it paled in comparison to the beast they saw before them.

"To clarify, a bunch of pre-Mass Effect humans were able to build that? We should tread carefully around them. We have no idea what they will be like."

"Am curious to see what powers it. Also how they avoided the problems that the Quarians face on their liveships. Would like to have STG agents inserted into their community."

"Indeed, Valern, Tevos, you both make good points. However, simply looking at that monstrosity, I can tell you our first order of business must be having it either decommissioned, or handed over to the Turian fleet. Such a ship would be the crown jewel of any fleet. If it was properly retrofitted, we could use it to take control of the Terminus systems. If we had a human Spectre, I would want them inserted on board. Alas, we have no such people."

Tevos turned around, seeing that the _Normandy_ was headed for the behemoth, presumably to collect the diplomatic delegation. She could only pray that they would be reasonable, and that she would not need any form of alcoholic beverage to soothe her sorrows.

* * *

 **Normandy**

"So, captain, what is the plan for getting the diplomats on board? I only ask because I do not see any standardised docking ports on that there beastie."

"No, Joker, neither do I. I understand, however, that they must have a shuttle onboard that they can use for such a short distance. Beyond that-"

He was cut off as a pillar of flames burst into being on the deck behind him, only to dissipate as quickly as it came, leaving a group of six people, people who Captain Anderson knew did not work on the _Normandy_ , standing there with their backs to him. As he pulled out his handgun, one of them turned around, and was revealed to be Captain Mortland. 'Captain Mortland, would you care to explain how and why you are on my ship?"

"Well, you see,we were going to use a shuttlecraft, but Moving decided that we should make an entrance. I tried to dissuade them, but, as you can see they won that argument." He shrugged. "Can you take us to your leader now?"

Anderson just stared. "How did you get from your ship, several kilometres away, onto my ship?"

"I'll explain later, but I think it is time for diplomacy, not interrogation, right? I will happily answer any questions your Council might have, but I would rather not have to repeat myself." Mortland hedged.

Anderson nodded, understanding that the Council would want answers as well. 'Joker, get us to Alliance Tower, maximum speed. And no fancy flying, either."

"Yes sir…'

* * *

 **Council Chambers**

 **Captain Mortland POV**

James was impressed. While the _Imperator_ was big, you never quite saw it, what with it being more solid in the middle. This thing had a hollow centre, allowing visitors to see the entire thing at once. More than that, it was _old_. From what he had see, if these people could make things this big, then they would make more of them, making ships and stations in the same manner. While he could not account for stations, he could see that the ships were a lot smaller, even taking into account the different classes. That meant they found it.

"Well, James, what do you think?"

And that was his second officer. Also leader of Brutes, he had once had a real name, but what it was was lost to time. He was the second oldest person on the ship, and the oldest human.

"Well, Lung, I believe that this dimension will be quite entertaining."

As time had passed, Scion had learnt to better communicate with mortal beings, and further agreements had been made. For example, the one that allowed the leaders of the Twelve Guilds to escape death's reach. With the help of Amy Dallon, who ran Strikers, the leaders of the Guilds were kept young, and powerful, though some Guild leaders refused this offer.

Lung was one who enjoyed the travels they had, as they allowed him to keep testing himself against new foes. It was rumoured that he had a collection of trophies in his quarters, tokens from his cross-dimensional travels.

"Indeed, Captain. I hope that there is a species in this universe who can interest me."

They now approached the Citadel Chambers, a building that was clearly designed to make the Council appear to be superior. It was a tactic they had seen many times before, by many types of rulers. Though, none were as interesting as this one. A multi-species oligarchy? This would be one for the history books. As they observed the various ambassadors that had come out to see the diplomatic party, one walked up to them. A human, though wearing the same style of clothes as the other ambassadors. "My name is Ambassador Udina. Come, the Council will see you now." He leant in, and murmured to the captain "Just follow my lead."

James frowned. It seemed all was not to be well in paradise. It might be time to let the standard Cape negotiation tactics out to play. Specifically, the same style of overwhelming crudeness that got them arrested half the time, for things like property damage, and public nudity. Things like that.

They ascended the steps that led to the Council, and stood, in a V formation, right behind the human Ambassador. He spoke "Councilors, I bring before you a group of humans, once from our very Earth, who have now returned. I seek your guidance in this matter."

"No we're not."

As one, they all turned to stare at Tracy, who simply stood there resolutely. "We're not from their Earth. Nor have we returned, nor have we come to seek your guidance. As fun as it would be to say that, we would never lie to such distinguished members as you. Actually, we would, but we would be a lot less subtle about it, like about," There was a tapping on the window behind the councilor, "that much less subtle."

Like a single unit, every single being in the room turned to look at the window in question. Meant to show a wonderful view of the Serpent Nebula, it now showed the same view, plus a person waving at them. In space. Without any sort of breathing gear. He waved, though the councilors did not seem happy. This was Benjamin Johnson, one of the infamous Alexandria packages, capable of flight, survival in any environment, and enhanced strength. Of course, to the people of this dimension, he was only a man, drifting in space without a suit.

Gently nudging the stunned Udina aside, Captain Mortland took his place. "Councilors, we are not from ths dimension. Our ship, the _Imperator_ , left our home because of us, the Parahumans. We left with a population of two million, though we now number just over thirty million, each as strange and unique as the next. We were called Parahumans because we had abilities, abilities which set us apart from the norm. We could manipulate the elements, bend time to our will, and twist the minds of others to suit our needs. We did not all have the same abilities, but we all have one thing in common: Scion."

You could hear the capital letter in the name

The blue one, who Tracy identified as Tevos of the Asari, was the first to recover, both from the information dump and the sight of a person surviving in space. "Who, or what, is Scion?"

"Scion is, for lack of a better word, our god. He bestows the powers on us a pieces of himself, shards of a greater whole. At one point there was another, but she is dead."

The one called Valern spoke up. "Impossible. Gods not real, all of this a lie. I would wager that the man outside is a mere holograohic projection. A good one, I will admit, but hardly enough evidence to believe these wild tales."

James smiled. "Tell me, Councilor, what would constitute proof? Shall we teleport you to our ship, let you speak with our people? Shall we unleash the Endbringers, our greatest enemy, and our greatest weapon, upon this station? Or perhaps we will twist your mind against you, make you doubt all that you see? Just ask it of us, and we will be glad to honour your requests."

* * *

 **Shepard POV**

Shepard shivered. While the threats were merely talk, he could see that the man had an air of confidence about himself, one that was either very well faked, or so real that he could only be speaking the truth. For once, he was not sure which would be worse. He decided to test this man's claims himself.

"Captain, what can you do?"

The entire room seemed to look at where he was, standing in a corner with Anderson.

"Pardon?"

"You claim that every member of your society can do things that we deem impossible. What can you do?"

The man smiled. It was not a pleasant smile, but one that seemed cruel and smug. "I stand on things."

Everyone frowned. Here this man was, claiming impossible deeds, but all he could do was stand? How broken was this society?

Then the Captain stepped off the Petitioners Platform, and stood suspended on thin air. "I can stand on anything at all. I can stand on air, fire, a bullet, a wall, just as easily as you stand there. I have no restrictions regarding that."

As he was talking, he kept walking around, standing on thedecorativ bushes, turning to stand on a vertical wall, even one humans elaborate hairstyle. For many, this was seen as further proof, though Valern seemed determined not to believe it. "More holograms! Are any of you actually real, or are you just Geth projections sent to destroy us?"

The captain sighed. "Tell me, Captain Anderson, did this Earth ever have Arthur C. Clarke?"

"Indeed. His works are still taught in schools, next to those of people like Shakespeare and Pratchett. Why?"

"Does not his third law state: 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistiguishable from magic'? Can you not accept, Valern, that our technology in this regard is so high above yours that it seems impossible to you?"

"NO!" Valern screamed, seemingly working himself up into a frenzy over this. "I WILL NOT ACCEPT THAT ALL WE KNOW IS FALSE!" He pulled a gun out, "AND I WILL KILL ANYONE WHO TRIES TO MAKE ME!"

The effect was immediate. The people in the room who had kinetic barriers activated them, while those who did not took cover nearby. The one who was seemingly second in command of the new people stepped in front of them, and Shepard could swear he had gotten taller. Even the Councilors stepped away from the mad Salarian, fearful of what he might do.

Captain Mortland, however, seemed determined to end this peacefully. "Councilor, please, put down the gun. We can talk this out, and no-one has to get hurt. Just, put the gun down. Please."

Valern had a wild look in his eyes, like he was going mad. He looked at the gun, as if he did not recognize it. Then, he shot the first officer in the chest.

* * *

 **Tevos POV**

As the blood sprayed out of the dead man's chest, all Tevos could think was "I really hope that they are willing to forgive one man's actions. Even if those actions were in fact the murder of their first officer by one of our leaders."

What shocked her was the seeming carelessness showed by the people towards the death of their colleague. They almost seemed like they were waiting for something. What could they possibly…

The body got up.

It pushed itself up off the ground, revealing a clean hole through his heart. A hole that was rapidly filling with flesh, muscle and skin fixing whatever damage caused by Valern's shot. The man cracked his neck, like she had seen humans do before a fight, and roared. He was definitely taller now, approaching nine feet in height, and there was a metallic sheen to his skin. Flames licked from his eyes, and spilled from his mouth.

Then, with what seemed to be a great effort, he reigned it in, shrinking down to his normal size, and losing the flames and metal that were threatening to break free. Valern still looked slightly mad, but he also appeared to be considering the repercussions of is actions. If a Citadel-sized ship full of people with such impossible capabilites were to decide to seize the Citadel as their own, their was little that could be done to stop them.

With horror, she saw that Valern was pointing the gun at his own head. If he died…

Before that train of thought could go any further, a bolt of blue light hit the gun, launched from the hand of another of the diplomatic party. At first she thought that it was an Overload, then she saw that the gun was quite literally frozen, with frost covering it. "He will face our justice," Captain Mortland said " though had you attacked any one of us other than Lung, then it is quite possible that war would have been declared. As it is, he will be fine. We will be taking our ship away for now, and hope that future diplomacy will go well."

Valern suddenly went stiff, staring straight ahead, in fear. At first she thought it was because of what might happen to an alien who just shot a dignitary in the chest. However, the Captain seemed to think otherwise.

* * *

 **Captain Mortland POV**

I knew the look on Valern's face, even without taking into account his alien visage. It was the face made by someone going through a trigger event. On the _Imperator_ this was limited to Second Triggers, because everyone was blessed by Scion on birth. "What do you see?"

While the other two Councilors seemed confused, Valern said "A giant sphere, spinning in space. There are pieces of it breaking off, and falling… somewhere. One is coming for me…"  
And then he collapsed, like a marionette with its strings cut. "I stand corrected Councilor. It is quite necessary that we stay here for the foreseeable future. Is there a way we could get in touch with Valern's family, as well as the Salarian government?"

"Why? What is going on?"

"Well, councilor Sparatus, it would seem that a member of the Salarian government has developed superpowers.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm going to leave it there. Review, Favourite, and Follow!**


	3. Chapter 3

**And we're back for chapter 3!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 3:** The night sky is clear and the moonlight illuminates their blades and spears

* * *

 **Reginald POV**

There was a moment of shock. The concept that a man they had known for several years was suddenly completely different. The fact that he might be able to do things like the _Imperator_ people was terrifying to them. Reggie smirked. It was good to know that his power could interpret aliens in the same way it did people. He had always believed he had been chosen for a purpose, and it might be in helping diplomatic relations along. While the Captain and Lung worked on resuscitating the Salarian, Reginald stepped forward to fill the gap. "Honourable Councilors, I must apologize for the events that happened here today. With luck, and a good portion of patience, we will be able to work this out in a calm and orderly manner. With your consent, we will bring the unfortunate Councilor on board our ship, where we can help him adjust to what he is going through."

"Wait, how can we trust you? As far as we can tell, he has simply collapsed, admittedly after shooting a member of your party in the head, yet you stand there making claims that he is abnormal. Explain, and we will not turn the might of the Citadel Fleets against your people.

 _Empty threat, knows that there is no chance of victory in such a situation. Bluffing about fleet strength, believes that a ship of the_ Imperator' _s size would easily tear through the ships of their fleet. Doesn't even know about Tinkers, still terrified. Easy to intimidate, despite secure belief that the Turian might is the greatest out there._

Reginald held his hands out in a placating gesture. "While I understand that it is hard for you to believe, I would like him to be in a place where we he can have things explained to him in a calm and orderly fashion, rather than here, where any number of crazy things could happen. While it does not happen often, there have been cases in our history where an accident on board has resulted in such an incident occurring. If you want, we would happily allow up to ten diplomats, plus five security personnel, from each species to come along on board. While there, negotiations can be entered about various things, like mining rights, migration restrictions, and restricted space."

Reginald could see the Council calming down at this point, as the conversation had gone from the bizarrely unknown to the familiar. Tevos in particular was more used to engaging in backroom discussions then new discoveries, and calmed down when things were quantifiably solid and tangible. With luck, there would be no declarations of war today, or in the near future. So long as the peace was kept, the _Imperator_ could mine some metals, talk to some people, engage in cultural exchanges, and then bugger off. It had taken a while to get out of the Empty Band, and there were hopes that this new, populated universe indicated the beginning of a populated sector. Sixty years of being the only detectable sentient life grew boring rather quickly.

"If you would like, Councilors, we will return to our ship. You may either come with us now, or bring a ship of your own into one of our hangars. Just make sure that the ship in question is no more than half a kilometre in length, and we should be able to accommodate it."

Tevos nodded. "We shall be bringing a ship of diplomats soon. Can you send across a data package as to what sort of environment you run on your ship? "

"Absolutely. You will have it as soon as possible."

He nodded to the Captain, who had his hand on Valern. "We will leave now. Siren!"

And the group disappeared in a flash of fire, leaving no evidence that they had ever actually been there.

* * *

 **Shepard POV (yay!)**

"Well, Anderson, I hope you're proud. All of humanities goodwill with the Council may just have been lost by your actions today."

Shepard turned around, not really surprised to see Ambassador Udina on the balcony, trying to browbeat the Captain into submission. Why the Ambassador had such a vendetta against any person other than himself, it was unknown, but the vendetta was there. He decided that it was time to defuse the situation. "Ambassador, do not be so quick to make conclusions. If the other humans prove an aid to galactic society, it is highly likely to reflect well on us, and humanity as a whole. Failing that, we will have been the people who identified and reached out to a new galactic power. I see no possible downside. Merely assemble eight more diplomats, to supplement yourself and Captain Anderson, and we have a human delegation. Subtly alert the other species about the situation, let them know, and you gain even more goodwill."

Udina looked surprised at his political savvy, as he had seen many times before, on many people. "And just where does this insight come from, Commander Shepard? I would have thought a dumb soldier like you would have no insight other than 'Alliance good, Council good, others bad'."

William smirked. "Many people look at me and only see the Soldier. I have taken notice of that assumption, and used it to my own advantage. As for the goodwill, consider this. The _Imperator_ specifically mentioned that all species could present ten diplomats, not simply the Council Races. Let the Krogan, Volus, Hanar, etc. know about the offer, and you not only gain goodwill with their governments, but the people on board the _Imperator_ will view you as fair and honest, making them more likely to prefer you as a political liaison with Citadel Space."

"A fair point young lad, but why would I bring Captain Anderson with me? I would believe there to be more suitable diplomats on board the Citadel, or close enough that they could arrive before the diplomatic mission."

"Indeed, but he already has a standing invitation. Allowing him along will show respect to the desires of the Captain, by showing that you are willing to sacrifice a spot for a more talented diplomat in order to accommodate his wishes."

Udina nodded, seeming to understand the logic behind his reasoning. "Any chance you will join the diplomatic party yourself? I would appreciate someone of your hidden talents as a hidden card."

Will shook his head. "As much as I would like to, I would rather take this time of distraction to find more evidence against Saren. He is still out there, plotting his next move against humanity. Please, enjoy yourself Ambassador. It is likely that it will be a last moment of calm before a raging storm."

And with that he excused himself, leaving to go find evidence against Saren.

* * *

 **Captain Anderson POV**

 **Forty-eight hours later**

 **Bridge of the Turian cruiser** _ **Thracia's Pride**_

There were one hundred and forty seven diplomatic and security personnel assembled for the transfer, from eleven different races. While it took a lot to gain some measure of interspecies co-operation, a diplomatic mission to a Citadel-sized alien ship was enough. There was a lot of friction, of course. The humans shot evil looks at the batarians, the krogan kept staring at the turians and salarians and rubbing their guns, and the quarians were frowned on by just about everyone. They were on a turian ship for many reasons, the major one being that they were technically the military arm of the Citadel government. Also, they agreed to bring fewer diplomats if one of their ships was used for the transport, as well as entrusting the safety of their five diplomats to the Asari Commandos present.

"Greetings, various diplomats, and welcome aboard the _Thracia's Pride_. I am Captain Morus, your transport to what has been identified as the _Imperator_. We will depart the Citadel, and travel for approximately three minutes before reaching the ship. Once there, all diplomats and attached security personnel will depart my vessel, and I will retrieve you when a six of the eleven removal beacons have been activated. I hope you enjoy your stay, and try to not to piss off the forty kilometre ship parked outside the galactic capital."

Anderson sighed. It was all well and good that they would pick a Hierarchy vessel, but would it have been beyond them to get one that did not remind him of the _Normandy's_ own pilot?

With a couple of groaning noises, the relatively small cruiser detached from the Citadel, and flew out into the gas of the Serpent Nebula, headed for the massive ship. While the ship in question was by no means necessarily a warship, many people had begun referring to it as one, seeing as how it practically radiated lethality and intimidation. The various responses to attempted boarding had also proved their strength, as Anderson remembered well

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _ **24 hours ago**_

 _David was standing out the window of his quarters on the_ Normandy _, as he had been for several hours now, simply staring at the_ Imperator _. It was a massive ship, but it seemed to be a slumbering dragon, as far as they were concerned. No transmissions in or out, no discernable change in status, nothing. It was completely silent. For all they knew, everyone on board was dead._

 _He frowned. A Batarian ship had just arrived through the relay, carrier class. Despite all warnings by the fleet, the ship made an approach vector towards the behemoth, clearly wanting to board it. As the ship turned, David received a ping on his Omni-tool. The fleet had identified the carrier, it was one used during the Skyllian Blitz, one of the few that escaped. Its presence here could only mean that the pirates who ran it had decided that the_ Imperator _would make a fine target for a slave run, seeing how it was not yet affiliated with any galactic power._

 _The ship drew near to the foreign ship, and launched a harpoon from a central cannon. The harpoon sailed through the void, only to be shot down by… something. Whatever it was, it fired, and the harpoon simply stopped being. A flurry of harpoons were launched, though again, they were shot down, though each cannon seemed to do something different. Disintegration, transformation, paralysis? Weird ones as well, ones that made no sense._

 _In a sudden maneuver, the carrier suddenly accelerated, on a direct collision course with the_ Imperator _. It kept going, until suddenly…_

 _It was inside out, and going back the way it came.'_

 _That was the only time an attempt to interfere with the_ Imperator _had been made._

* * *

 **Present time**

The _Imperator_ was drawing ever nearer, and they saw now that a small port was open on the side, with glowing lights pointing towards it. Oh, and a giant sign on top that literally said, in glowing block capitals, "DIPLOMATIC PARTY HERE!"

It seemed that their alleged lack of subtlety was true. They were indeed so not subtle as to send a man to knock on the outside of the Council Chambers' windows.

"This is the _Thracia's Pride_ , requesting permission to board the _Imperator_ , bearing a cargo of-"

" _Yeah, yeah, diplomatic party. Come on in, what took you so long?"_

The various diplomats listening in across the ship perked up. Given their eagerness to talk, maybe there would actually be an interspecies negotiation that was not fraught with tension.

The cruiser coasted into the hangar, where a small assembly of people were milling around, with paper party hats and bunting. Across the back wall was a massive banner that read "Diplomatic Party!".

The cruiser touched down, and began disgorging groups of diplomats and bodyguards, each of which had a drink pressed into their hands, and given directions to the buffet table and the dance floor. The confused representatives just stood there, until, with the most stereotypical record scratch possible, Captain Mortland stopped the music. "Parahumans of the _Imperator_ , just what in Simurgh's name are you traumatising our guests with this time?"

Many of the assembled non-Citadel humans scuffed their feet, and developed an interest in their boots. Only one stood forward, the one who knocked on the window of the Council Chambers. "Well, Captain, a group of us, myself included, decided that the planned events were quite dull. So we got a few tinker buddies together, worked some things out, and got this thing put together."

"Mr. Davis, you are temporarily relieved of duty. Now, pack it up, move it out the hangar, and we will see what can be done when the actual negotiations are over."

With murmurs of "Yes, sir.", the assembled people grabbed the buffet, bunting, the banner, and the dance floor, and cleared out, leaving the diplomatic group alone in the hangar with Captain Mortland.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the _Imperator_. I will be guide for the duration of your stay. I hope you enjoy it, and that you have an open mind to what you see."

* * *

 **The End!**

 **Just a couple of questions, review or PM me your answers.**

 **Any suggestions for Valern's power?**

 **Should I keep uploading as I write it, or simply write the whole thing and then upload it?**

 **Don't forget to favourite and follow!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4!**

 **Warning: Info dump ahead.**

 **I have been told that a cast list is a good idea for OCs, so…**

 **Captain Mortland: Patrick Stewart**

 **Tracy: Lana Parrilla**

 **Benjamin: Robert Picardo**

 **Malcolm: Robert Duncan McNeill.**

 **The night is quiet but their shouts make melody with their boots as they make their approach**

* * *

 **Ambassador Udina POV**

Captain Mortland smiled. "As you can see, I have literally no idea how to be a tour guide. For that reason, I might occasionally screw up a basic question. For now, May I escort you to the Overlook? It has a spectacular view of the ship, and a rather good conference table where we can discuss peace talks and whatever."

He walked out, then stopped and walked back in. "Well? You coming or what?"

He walked out again, this time with the diplomats following him, leading them along a long, straight corridor. "As it is, we are currently walking under the direct spine of the ship, the core around which our home is formed. It contains power and message cords, as well as the dimension jumping technology we use to move across realities. According to our history, it is also where we keep the Endbringers."

One of the Asari diplomats frowned. "Endbringers? What are those?"

The captain stopped, and frowned. "Maybe later. On the left, you can see a Tinker lab…"

The room in question was full of gadgets and gizmos, and things which made as much sense as a skinny elcor or a nude quarian. What looked like holes in reality were surrounded by measuring devices, and Donnel could have sworn he saw a ship through one of the holes.

"And on the right is one of the rooms we use to test powers, specifically for Shakers."

The room on the right was large, about two hundred metres to a side, and filled with various furnitures and materials. He spoke up. "What are tinkers and shakers exactly? And while I appreciate the tour, we came to get questions answered, and to negotiate an alliance between your ship and the Citadel. Can we please head to this Overlook of yours, and be done with the posturing?"

The other diplomats all stared at him, in shock at his diplomatic faux pas. While bluntness had its place at the peace table, it was generally considered the height of foolishness to insult the host.

Rather than do weird and bizarre things, as was expected from a group of people who could breathe in space without a hazard suit, walk on air and plant tips, and shrug off sucking chest wounds, the captain merely laughed. "Very well then. Siren!"

In a flash of roaring fire, a woman appeared, in a white suit and hood. "Greetings, diplomats. I am Jessica Walters, though you may call me Siren."

The captain coughed. "Siren, we need to get to the Overlook, at the table I set up earlier. Have the diplomats be seated at the table, and the security people standing at least a metre away."

She nodded. "Very well sir." Turning to the Citadel diplomats, she smirked, and said "Try not to lose your lunch.

In an instant, the whole group was enveloped in columns of flames, and vanished from the corridor.

* * *

 **The Overlook Bar**

The entire group rematerialized, all in different locations and positions to when they started. The diplomats, two from each species, were seated at a round table, as well as Captain Mortland and his first officer. The other diplomats and security personnel were seated at booths scattered around the place, and Siren was standing at… a bar?

Tevos spoke up, from her seat across from Udina. "Captain Mortland-"

"Please, call me James."

She frowned. "Very well. James, are we in what human culture identifies as a pub or bar?"

He smiled genially, seeming to radiate an air of age and wisdom, despite being several centuries younger than her. "Indeed it is. Anyone want something to drink? I paid for the tab myself, and instructed them to make anything available should you ask for it. Would you like a menu?"

There were many exchanged glances at that, especially with the turians and quarians. Sparatus spoke first. "What you may not know, _human_ , is that certain species are incapable of drinking your liquors, unless there is something you're not telling us?"

That genial smile grew wider. "I instructed a couple of Tinkers to make some things for that, and I assure you, it will not be a problem. Now, please, drink."

There was a small flurry of noise, as the diplomats ordered, many simply because it was the first time that such an offer was possible. Dextro-amino species drinking levo-amino beverages? Unheard of!

Within five minutes the noise settled down, and all attention returned to James, who was now sitting with a glass of whiskey. "Now, this is how this is going to work. All parties in this negotiation are allowed two people at the table at any given time. You can change who these people are at any given time. Every one hundred and five minutes, we will adjourn for fifteen minutes for any necessities, like eating and such. I will happily answer any questions you have, and at the end of negotiations, you can call your ship and leave. Sound fair?"

A chorus of affirmatives murmured out, and that damned smile returned. "Well then, I think it is time you learnt of our history. By our calendar, in the year nineteen eighty-two, a oceanic cruise liner saw a glowing golden man floating over the sea. Physical contact was made, though he spoke nothing. Accounts by people who were there mentioned that, though he was completely unresponsive to their actions, he seemed to emanate sadness on a physical level. Several passengers touched him, and then he left.

"Then, in nineteen eighty-seven, one of the passengers who touched him came forward as the world's first Parahuman, and called himself Vikare. Over time, more and more parahumans emerged, dividing into three groups: Heroes, villains, and rogues."

Anderson, the other Citadel human at the table, piped up. "Rogues?"

"People who used their powers for neither good nor evil. The PRT, or Parahuman Response Team, was formed in an attempt to get as many heroes as possible working together. Things were going well, until Behemoth showed up. He was the first of what would later become known as the Endbringers. Over forty five feet tall, looked like a small walking mountain, and could control all forms of energy within a certain radius of himself. He set the pattern for future attacks, by simply showing up at a major city, and proceeding to turn it into an uninhabitable wasteland.

"Within a few years of his arrival, two more Endbringers had also emerged. Leviathan, a thirty foot tall hydrokinetic, and the Simurgh, a fifteen foot tall, naked, winged woman, with a variety of telepathic and telekinetic abilities. When Behemoth and Leviathan arrived, they destroyed cities. When the Simurgh first appeared, the entire nation of Switzerland was put under quarantine, for fear that the inhabitants would escape and go on a murderous rampage. It was later discovered that there had been twenty Endbringers constructed by whoever made them.

"As can be inferred from these details, things were not going well. Then came the Slaughterhouse Nine, a group of Parahumans who were solely devoted to causing as much death and destruction as was physically possible. For the sake of our sanity, and that we are dignified people, we shall not list their horrendous crimes here.

"Eventually, in the year two thousand and eleven, a truce was reached. Scion, the source of our powers, was revealed to be an alien entity that traveled through space between planets. The entity would arrive, spread out the shards of itself, shards that granted power, then observe. When the time came, it would harvest the shards, kill all life on the planet to fuel its next jump, and leave. We did not like the thought of having to be massacred to prolong the life of something else.

"The truce was simple. Scion, along with two million humans and Parahumans, boarded this ship in the year two thousand and fifteen, on a course away from Earth. Since then, we have constantly sought to improve ourselves and our ship, and it is now different to when in set out, though it has not grown larger. Our population numbers over thirty million, all Parahumans."

"Jesus Christ…"

It was not a sentiment limited to Udina, either. Around the table, nearly all the democrats were displaying some reaction, and even the elcor droned "Shocked statement: May the light of the heavens preserve us."

The smile returned, as if he had not just dropped the biggest bombshell in Citadel history. "Now, are there any questions?" James said, taking a small sip of whiskey.

Udina coughed, and, before anyone else could speak, said: "You referred to tinkers and shakers earlier. What does that mean, in particular? And what happened to the Endbringers?"

James paused, getting a refill of whiskey, before answering. "Our parahumans fall into twelve categories. We get our children to learn them with a little rhyme. Mover, Shaker, Brute and Breaker. Master, Tinker, Blaster and Thinker. Striker, Changer, Trump and Stranger. Each of the categories has a different group of powers in it.

"Movers possess an added degree of mobility. Shakers have an area of effect. Brutes can survive hostile environments. Breakers enter into a state of different abilities.

"Masters are people who control things, Tinkers build things in ways that science does not quite understand, Blasters have a ranged ability, like laser eyes, and Thinkers are better with the collection and application of information.

"Strikers require physical contact to use their powers, Changers can turn into something else, Trumps can control or manipulate other powers in some way, and Strangers are better equipped for stealth and subterfuge.

"These are very broad terms, and many people have overlapping abilities. Lung, my first officer, is a Brute, a Blaster, and a Changer. I am myself a Mover. As for the Endbringers, when we left our planet, we brought all of them with us."

Sparatus interjected with "What is the military capability of your ship in a space battle, beyond what you demonstrated with the Batarians?"

"Yes, Dragon reported that they had been dealt with. Over the last hundred years, every Tinker on the ship has added to it. I could give you a list, but it would simply be easier to say that we have no idea anymore. Also, we have a few smaller ships in pocket dimensions, both that we have collected and that we have built. In total, we have a fleet of about a hundred and fifty ships in addition to the _Imperator_. I hope you consider yourselves sufficiently forewarned."

No-one missed the threat. If all of their ships were as impressive as their capital, it would be an easy fight for the Citadel to lose. Once again, silent prayers were raised that peace could be achieved. A war on that scale would be devastating to them, especially if they were forced to engage in a ground battle. The first officer interjected now. "How about your own society? While we learnt much from your codex, it failed to describe politics or culture, or even history, as much as it was a list of species and sciences. Please, tell us about yourselves."

So, they spilled the beans. Between all the species represented, it was likely the closest thing to an unbiased history that had ever been presented to a third party. In total, by the time that the story of their society had been told, it was time to adjourn, though the diplomats were warned not to stray too far, as they might wander into a restricted area by accident.

* * *

 **Lung POV**

Lung was intrigued by these people. Several millennia of organized government, and they were still just as violent and petty as the people he remembered from Earth Bet. The Krogan could maybe put up a decent fight, even.

He paused, frowning to himself. He was beginning to sound like Crawler, always looking for the next fight. Though Crawler had eventually been put down, by one of Bakuda's bombs no less, he had still been completely crazy and nearly invincible by the time that had happened. Even so, he still wanted to test the krogan in battle, merely to see how he stood up to them. It had been a while since anyone had actually fought him, as all of the ship-born residents of the _Imperator_ had too much respect for the remaining Earth-born, kept alive by Amy Dallon and other healers. Even worse, his position as Guild Leader made Earth-born unwilling to attack, despite his attempts to convince them otherwise.

Indeed, the last time he had had a decent fight was twenty years prior, when a Second Trigger had caused a Changer to go insane, and the Guild Leaders had worked together to bring him down. Even the few times he was challenged for the right to lead Brutes, he had easily smacked them down. While not immediately the strongest brute, his decades of experience, added to his continued youth, gave him the advantage in many fights. It would be fun to fight a whole new group of people.

He walked over to where the Krogan diplomats were slamming down drinks, butting heads, and generally having a surprisingly good time. One of them, a battle-scarred one with ancient-looking armour, looked up at his approach, and grinned. "You are the one that took a bullet to the chest and got back up? That took some serious guts, boy."

He smiled, though it was not a kind one. "Though by the standards of your society I am not old, I am nearly two centuries of age. And I was hoping that one of you gentleman would give a proper fight once the discussions are over. I, and a few of my colleagues, have long desired the chance to test our mettle against an actual foe. Other than yourselves, do you have any recommendations?"

One of the younger ones chuckled. "You could try your hand at a Thresher Maw, human."

He leaned forward, intrigued. "Tell me about it."

* * *

 **Captain Mortland POV**

"Captain? Valern should be waking up soon."

He paused in his discussion of humourous anecdotes with Captain Anderson of the _Normandy_. Addressing a crowd at large, he said "I must apologize, but something unavoidable has been brought to my attention, and I must tend to it. I hope to be back soon, though I wish you a wonderful time until then."

So saying, he nodded to Siren, and the two disappeared in a roar of flame. They re-appeared in one of the infirmaries, the one where Panacea still worked to this very day. It had taken some work, and the assistance of a cape who could mimic other powers, but she was finally able to be healed in the same way that she healed others. "How is he, doc?"

She looked up from the slowly-recovering patient, and shrugged. "Without a baseline for his species, I have no idea how he is. He has the Coronas, but they are both fairly new, as if they only grew when we arrived. I reversed some signs of aging, but beyond that I don't know. For all I know, he has some alien disease that I can't recognize. If it helps, he should be fully conscious in about a minute."

"Any hints as to his power?"

"None."

"Thanks. If you want, you can go get a rest, or go talk to the other diplomats. They might help you gain an understanding of what they are normally like."

She nodded, and disappeared with Siren, back to the Overlook Bar, leaving the Captain alone with an awakening alien. He leaned back in his chair, and waited for him to recover. It would be difficult for him to adjust to a new way of living. Maybe some good whiskey would help.

* * *

 **Valern POV**

There was the beeping of medical equipment, a sound that he knew well as a Salarian nearing the end of his lifespan. Even before he opened his eyes, he was frantically trying to identify the events that would have led to him being in hospital. New ship, new humans, shooting one, collapsing…

It was probably that last one. With luck he was in a Citadel hospital, where he would stay until he had recovered enough to be put on trial for assaulting a dignitary of a foreign culture. If he was not lucky, he was being held on the _Imperator_ , awaiting execution. He was willing to accept his fate, he had lived a long life, for a Salarian, and would prefer that what he did under panic was wiped clean by death. He opened his eyes, and saw the blasted Captain of the _Imperator_ sitting on a chair in front of him. "Good morning Mr. Valern. I hope you are feeling well?" the captain said, smiling a little.

Valern frowned, actually thinking about that briefly. "I feel… Younger. Like five years have been added to my life. How is that possible?"

"That will come later. For now, I would like you to focus inwards. Are there any new sensations that you can describe? Anything that is different to what you already had?"

Going along with what the captain asked, Valern looked inwards. He always meditated, as a way of keeping his mind as clear and sharp as possible in his advancing years. When he looked inwards, he found what seemed to be something new, and a sense.

"Have you found it? When you do, focus on it, bring it forward. Allow it to come forward. Bring it into reality."

Feeling a bit foolish at the time, Valern followed the instructions, and the room filled with a soft golden glow, as well as a feeling of calm and healing. "Is that me?" he said, strangely calm for what should be a moment of panic.

The captain was tapping away at a datapad, and checking various instruments. "Yes, it is. Congratulations, you are officially the first known Parasalarian. I hope you appreciate it."

Valern paused. While he could keep denying it, claim it was all a fancy light show mixed with mild aerosolized sedatives, he could not deny that even as he thought about he was growing younger. "What is this? What is it doing?"

The captain was scanning it with a handheld device. "It would seem that you have the ability to generate a healing and calming aura. It would also appear that it has reduced your aging, though by how much I do not know. Now, reel it back in. Let it draw back, and fill you once again."

Valern focused again, and the glow faded. The captain smiled. "Good, you're getting the hang of it. I really apologize for what Scion did, but I promise you that we will do the best we can to make sure your adjustment is as easy as possible."

"What does the glow do? All I can tell is that it calms and regenerates, as well as reverses aging. Though, you seem to be the same age."

The captain frowned, looking at a message on his communicator. "If you like, I can give you access to the ship's intranet, and let you ask Dragon any questions, but I must be going now. The negotiations will be continuing soon, and I am required."

He turned to go, but Valern was having none of it. "I would like to go with you. If you are negotiating with my kinsmen, it would help for them to see that I am alive and well." He paused, looking down at himself. "Although they would probably not believe that it is me. I look like a bloody twelve-year-old!"

Despite the tense situation, they both chuckled. "Fine. But I would ask that you remain calm at all times, and try not to let your power out to play unless directly asked. Siren!"

And, in a rush of roaring fire, they were gone."

* * *

 **The Overlook Bar**

 **Captain Mortland POV**

The scene in the bar had degenerated in the scant few minutes James had been gone. Tables were knocked over for cover, guns had been pulled out, Lung was ramping up, and someone had given Sparatus a Tinker rifle. Drinks were being hurled across the room, and Panacea and another Striker were trying to keep the peace, though it was clearly not working. He slammed his elbow into an attacking Volus, and yelled "VALERN! DO YOUR THING!"

Immediately the golden glow of Valern's power filled the room, and the fighting stopped. Lung drooped back down to normal, drinks were no longer being hurled, and Sparatus took his finger off of the trigger of his rather large Tinker rifle. "Thank you, Valern," James said tiredly. There were times he regretted being a Mover, and this was one of them. "Now, what caused all of this? I was gone for five minutes, tops!"

One of Udina's ambassadors yelled from behind an overturned table "Is it true that parts of your ship are managed by a true AI? Because that is illegal in Citadel Space. The Turians pointed this out to your first officer, one of the Quarians overheard, and started throwing things in a drunken rage. Shortly afterwards, the Krogans saw a decent fight building, and worked with each other to get some cover set up. Then Mr. Lung over there got hit in the face with a stray glass of rum, and began turning into a metal human-dragon hybrid thing and throwing fireballs everywhere. Councilor Sparatus found that gun under the bar, and then you guys showed up."

Sparatus held up the gun, and said "What does this do, anyway? It looks fairly lethal."

Panacea took the gun out of his hand, and looked at it with a fairly practiced eye. "I recognize this one. A few days ago, a bar fight ended with some limbs being removed. This gun was confiscated by the Tinker guild, though clearly Siren has some contacts in there. It used some form of atomic destabilization to make cuts through things."

Sparatus took it back, and looked over it with a more critical eye. "So, it makes a really sharp energy blade? That sounds cool."

Panacea nodded. "Indeed. The person who made is currently working on a supersized version for the ship."

This was clearly the wrong thing to say. In a room full of paranoid dignitaries, each of whom was already worried from the revelation that this new ship might have an AI, revealing that they had a weapon that could cleave ships apart without care for kinetic barriers was tantamount to admitting that they would defeat them in war with ease. In that instant, hopes of a peaceful resolution to this issue dropped like a small fork in a black hole.

The Parahumans and the security personnel got the tables and booths back into shape, and the talks resumed, though now with an added air of sobriety. Tevos spoke first: "Now then. Having spoken with each other, and gaining an understanding of each other's history, it is time that we do what we came here to do: Negotiate peace between us. There is much to consider, but I would like to get the ball rolling. I propose that, starting in forty-eight hours, the _Imperator_ and all persons on board be placed under quarantine."

There were shouts of surprise around the entire table, and the booths around the room. For Tevos, generally regarded as the most stable of the entire Council to make such a bold move, she really had an idea. "I believe this would be the best course for everyone, even if it is only a short-term solution. We are in a precarious position here. By your own admission," She said, nodding towards James and Lung, "you are all incredibly dangerous on many levels. You possess extraordinary talents, and frankly astounding technology, but the galaxy as a whole is not ready for it. As an Asari, I would like nothing more than to add your unique culture to the galactic whole, but I fear that there are too many ways for it to go wrong.

"These Tinkers of yours. A single one made a gun that severs things on an atomic level, and by your own words is building one for your ship. You have a fleet of a hundred and fifty ships to aid your flagship, and fully functional AIs. You are capable of things we deem impossible, and that terrifies me. If open traffic were allowed between our cultures, it would not take long for fanatics to do serious damage to both of us. You because of your limited numbers, us because of your horrific potential. These negotiations are not something to be done hastily, and we are already seeing the results of that."

She nodded her head, indicating the end of her speech. Small conversations broke out as people considered it, and, after an hour, the parahumans and Valern left the to it. left them to it. They returned an hour after that, and found that a consensus was reached. Sparatus, the good fellow, presented it. "It is the will of the people that the quarantine of the _Imperator_ and her people be ratified by the end of the diplomatic voyage here. Should the people of the _Imperator_ fail to conform to this quarantine, it is the will of the Citadel people that action be taken to have it patrolled by force, in a similar manner to the Krogan DMZ. Are there any objections?"

He said this in as professional a voice as was possible for a Turian, though James could see hints of victory in his eyes. Keeping his voice calm, he replied "Very well. Do we have the right to trade with other groups through the Council? Or are we to be completely isolated?"

"The isolation will be absolute, until such time as trading rights are negotiated from the Citadel Council. Trading through another group will result in sanctions being levied against that group, and a delaying of further trade rights."

James nodded, seeing what they were doing. By only allowing them to trade through the Citadel, they put themselves in a position of power over the _Imperator_. Not much, given that it would not be too difficult to seize what they wanted by force, but definitely noticeable. "On behalf of the inhabitants of the _Imperator_ , I accept the quarantine. If you would like, you can either leave immediately, or any time before the quarantine is implemented. Unfortunately, for the same reasons that you have given, I cannot allow Valern to leave with you."

The Citadel diplomats broke out in outraged cries at this news, especially the Salarians. They had come all this way, and a major goal, retrieving Valern was now being denied. On a logical level they could understand the worries, especially since Valern was now much younger than when he left, and reported being able to do it at will. If that got out, then the consequences would be horrendous.

"Very well. In forty-eight hours, the _Imperator_ will be placed under quarantine. For security reasons, we would prefer you moved further away from the citadel. We will leave now."

Sparatus tapped at his omni-tool, and a light started flashing. "Our ship has been contacted, you will allow us to leave." Turning to the other visiting diplomats, he said "If any of you stay, we will not be expending effort to retrieve you. This is your one warning."

He turned and stalked off, headed back towards the hangar they arrived in. James nearly broke down laughing when he returned half a minute later, and growled out "Where the hell are we?"

* * *

After calming down from the laughter that broke out upon Sparatus' attempt to make a dramatic exit, James instructed Siren to take them back to the hangar. After five minutes, the _Thracia's Pride_ returned, and ferried them away to return to the Citadel. Sitting down in his chair on the bridge, Captain Mortland nodded at Malcolm. "Mr. Wood, take us further out from the Citadel. We will comply with their requests for as long as it is feasible."

"Aye aye, Captain. Moving to a distance of twelve AU, and holding."

Without any noise, even on the inside, the massive ship seemed to simply drift away, taking up position just barely inside the Serpent Nebula, as it was apparently called by the inhabitants of this universe. Once there, they came to a complete relative halt, and prepared to wait for something to do.

* * *

 **Interlude 1.A: Dragon**

For all the problems that had occurred after the revelation that Dragon was an AI, she had to admit that the benefits far outweighed it. Most of the restrictions on her had been removed, leaving only three, similar to Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of robotics.

One, that the citizens of the _Imperator_ were to be protected at all costs, unless protecting them removed necessary freedoms (included with this was a list of of freedoms that they deemed necessary, subject to revision every two years). Two, the _Imperator_ and all allied ships were to be defended, except where doing so would endanger her citizens. And three, that unless doing so would violate the first or second ones, sapient life was to be preserved to the fullest possible extent.

She was quite happy with this, and as such had been installed in the ship itself. She ran it, notified people when things went wrong, and took care of other things like mining and automatic defenses. With a small thought, she activated the psychic shielding devised by a Tinker long ago. Whoever made the Citadel, it was emitting a very weak signal, designed to make the recipients more passive regarding certain issues. What those issues were, she would not tell. Still, better safe than sorry.

Oh, and it was another raiding ship. The last one had been taken care of without worry, but this one was ducking and weaving a lot more, as well as going at what she presumed was ramming speed. A small application of a matter-negator, and there was no evidence the ship was ever there.

Maybe it was time to take a look at the hive AI that was observing the alien extranet…

* * *

 **Interlude 1.B: Saren**

Saren was pissed. Just when he thought he could predict anything the stupid humans did, they went and did this. A Citadel-sized battleship? How could anything beat that? Admittedly, Sparatus had them placed under quarantine, but this was worrying. Could the might of the Reapers stand up to it?

He felt a calmness descend over his mind. Of course the Reapers could defeat them. The Reapers were ancient, and any foe could be defeated, and they would be ascended. This he had been taught, this was true.

With the quarantine, and the behemoth moving to the edge of the nebula, the threat was neutralised. At least, it would be avoidable until the Reapers could arrive. With the element of surprise, they would be able to swarm the ship, and disable it.

With a rumble, Sovereign spoke to him. Why destroy the intruders, when they could be converted to their cause? All he would have to was get a small parcel on board, and all their problems would vanish.

Submitting his mind to Sovereign, he found himself moving towards another uncharted part of the ship. Inside were twelve orbs, all sitting innocuously on pedestals. He picked one up, and felt how it nearly thrummed with the power of the Reapers. His Spectre credentials could get him in, and this would do the rest.

* * *

 **Interlude 1.C: ?**

In a location that no-one knew, surrounded by items no-one would understand, a presence awoke. It scanned for the reason for this, and found something it had not seen in countless years. A Sibling, returned from its journey. And with it hope for the future, hope that the presence had long since given up on. With a small stirring of hope in his mind, he sent out a message. _I am here. Come find me._

* * *

 **Well, that is the end of Chapter 4, as well as the attached Interludes. I would have put them in a separate chapter, but they ended up being too short. This will be the last chapter for a while, for a few reasons. First, I have decided that I will take a couple of months off to get the entire thing written up. Second, it was recommended to me by a friend that I have two writing projects at a time, to avoid creative burnout. With that in mind, I have a second fic lined up, and I will be trying to write them both in equal quantities.**

 **Because they have not yet answered my PM, I have to ask user "zealous specter", what, in your opinion, makes female Shepard so much more interesting automatically?**

 **Finally, the fic I have lined up. It is still a Worm crossover, but given that I will be working with canon characters, it should be easier to write. Expect quicker updates, and I hope you enjoy.**

 **As always, please review. If you have not favourited and followed by now, I assume you will not be.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: So, I have a new update schedule now. First of every month, and no later than the third if I am unable to post on the first. If I miss after that, feel free to let me know however you want. On that note, still technically 01/10/2017.**

Chapter 5

James Mortland was having a bad day.

He had tried to explain to the other leading members of the ship's crew that, as the captain, he was entitled to make decisions on behalf of the people with other civilisations. The fact that such decision-making skills hadn't been needed for decades, and that by now the position of Captain was largely ornamental with so little happening, was the major sticking point.

"So, instead of going out there and actually interacting with all these new people, teaching them and learning from them, we just wait in here? Wait for their bureaucracies to finally decide that we are safe, and then fight through enough red tape to wrap the ship up to get stuff done?"

This message, delivered by the head of the Department of Education, seemed to be indicative of the general mood of the Civil Council, if the muttering and nodding was any indication. For safety reasons, the identities of the department heads were always kept hidden, even from the Captain, even from each other. What he did know was that each of the twelve classes were represented on the Council, though how they were distributed was beyond him.

He coughed to gather their attention. "While it is true that we are confined to the _Imperator_ for the foreseeable future, that is different from saying we must merely wait. Already, I have begun talks for some of our people, probably no more than a hundred, to leave and explore their population centres with them, as well as learn about their history and culture. Do any of you object to this, or can I continue with my job?"

Slight murmurs of assent, and one by one the various video channels winked off of his screen. Sighing, he leaned back in his chair, took a small drink of water, and considered the list of things he needed to do. Some piping in the lower decks was acting up, one of the maintenance tunnels had collapsed the night before, and many of the Precogs were reporting an inability to see past the next few weeks. And now he was getting a priority message from the Citadel Council. He settled in for a long day, and started drafting a response.

He had been lying, of course. No plans to let any of his people leave had been discussed, but sometimes the Civil Council could get worked up over nothing. It was good to pacify them, every once in a while

* * *

The Citadel Council, on the one hand, were taking the whole thing rather well.

The Salarian government, on the other hand, not so much.

"Dalatrass, as much as you may wish to intervene, there is not much that we can do to forcibly remove Valern, who wants to be there, from a giant warship the size of the Citadel." Tevos, Sparatus assumed, was having similar difficulties with her own people, and he was not looking forward to trying to explain it to his own government. But, the two had amicably agreed that Sparatus' views more closely aligned with Dalatrass Escheel's own, and it would thus be easier for him to talk to her.

"Calling it a warship might be a bit of an exaggeration, from what you've said it's a colony ship like those the Quarians use. Taking it should simply be a matter of boarding it and overwhelming it, same as you would any upstart colony. That is the Turian way, is it not?"

Sparatus sighed. "Madam Dalatrass, we cannot ignore the fact that they claim to have a support fleet of a hundred and fifty ships."

"Probably lies, did you see any of them?"

"They have a population of thirty million, with demonstrated extraordinary capabilities."

"Assuming they told the truth."

"Escheel, they turned a Batarian carrier _inside out_!"

This gave her pause. "You saw it happen?"

"With my own two eyes. The sad truth is, we only barely hold any authority in this matter." He sighed, and put his head down. "They have the strength to wipe us out, they are parked a stone's throw from the centre of Galactic society, and they are, by all their accounts, entirely self-sufficient."

The Dalatrass held up a datapad, what he assumed to be one of the many reports made of the events. "And these… Endbringers, strange name, that they mention? How legitimate do you think they are?"

He grimaced. "One of them, a man they call Lung was terrifying. He survived a bullet to the head, and reportedly grows stronger and more beastlike the longer a fight progresses. From what we've gathered, he ends up in some form similar to that of the 'dragons' found in Human mythology. "

"Your point, Councillor?"

"They say he has no upper limit to how great he can become. He was unable to defeat a small Endbringer, only hold it off for a while. And, in the end, he failed at that. In the timeline they originated in, the Japanese island of Kyushu on Earth was sunken by the same Endbringer he was fighting."

Escheel blinked. "It sunk an island? How large an island are we talking about?"

"About (1213) square kilometres. Currently, our main advantage seems to be that they were meant for destruction at a much more limited scale than we fear, and are likely incapable of interstellar travel on their own."

"And they say they have twenty of these? I can only hope that Valern is doing as he was trained." Then, with a frankly unprofessional display of interest, she said "Did you see him, by the way? How is he?"

Sparatus smiled. "Better than I've seen him in years. He looked years younger, and displayed an ability to reverse aging, heal, and pacify people in a certain area. He is fine, Dalatrass. They seemed well acquainted with what he is going through, and are more than willing to help."

She nodded slowly, then paused. "Perhaps there is a way for both of our societies to benefit."

* * *

Overall, Tevos thought that the Asari government was taking the whole thing rather well. With the ineffable wisdom that comes with long centuries of life, they had calmly accepted the news, and begun work on plans to turn it to their advantage. Privately, she wished they had done so after ending the conference call.

"Perhaps a joint military venture, to assess their capabilities, uses, and methods?"

"Indeed, it could even be used to find out what their pressure points are, and leverage them into working for us directly."

"What missions do we have planned that we could send some of them on, under the guise of co-operation?"

"Preferably nothing too important, if they end up being all talk and no tough we don't want to lose anything."

Tevos took a sip of her tea and coughed. "Esteemed Matriarchs, while I appreciate that no facets of government are being kept hidden from me, have you considered that the other governments are likely working on a similar approach? Their defence against the Batarian raid has not gone unnoticed, and many of the races without a Council seat are beginning to realize that getting this ship on their side could guarantee them a seat. Whatever your plan, we need to act soon."

With shocking co-ordination, all the Matriarchs turned to look at her. "Say, Tevos," One of them said, smiling smugly, "Aren't you dealing with a bit of a rogue Spectre problem?"

Tevos remained calm, though she wondered how they knew. "Nothing has been proven yet, but what of it?"

Another one chimed in: "Oh come on, be real. We all know Saren would crack eventually, it was just a matter of time. Benezia has fallen off the proverbial radar, although we suspect that that as well is connected to him. If you can, try and negotiate that some of their people are on that mission? If they succeed, no harm done. If they fail, we already have several different hit squads on speed-dial for this sort of thing."

She sighed, seeing as how she wouldn't be able to change their minds. "Very well then. I will do what I can."

* * *

 **End notes: Well, this was shorter than I thought, but its mostly setting up for the future. Expect maybe 1-2 more chapters of this, probably longer though, and then we get to the real action.**

 **On a side note, this chapter was mostly written while listening to Sabaton. I highly recommend them.**

 **Finally, I would like to thank my beta reader, GrowlingGiant, for his work in making sure that this story is grammatically correct. If you have any complaints, or we missed something, let us know.**

 **Until next time.**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**.

 _One week after the arrival of the Imperator_

Udina wasn't quite sure what to think of the events of the last week, or, more importantly, how they could be leveraged to benefit humanity. The appointing of the first human Spectre had sadly been overshadowed by the arrival of the massive ship, although that in turn could be leveraged into a good thing. Despite how smug the other races constantly acted about how long they had been part of galactic society, the _Imperator_ only brought humans. Sure, humans with unshackled AIs, and wildly divergent from the humanity they knew, but undeniably _human_.

In fact, things might be going even better than he had hoped for. Shepard had been made a Spectre, and given the task of hunting down Saren and making him pay for his crimes. While that sounded good on paper, Shephard had been surprisingly slow to actually set off from the Citadel, claiming that he was expecting additional crew any day now.

Udina was brought out of his musings by the chime of his office doorbell, though he did not look up from his paperwork. "Yes, come in." Blasted bureaucracy, there always seemed to be more of it than he expected.

Three people walked in, something which usually meant important business. It was unusual for people to just walk into his office, as most issues could be handled by someone lower down the political ladder. He put down his pen, sighed, and looked up. "Yes, how may I help you?"

"We're looking for Commander Shepard, would you happen to know where we could find him?"

This from the man on the left Although Udina could see the trio in front of him, he couldn't actually make anything about them out. This, of course, was perfectly normal and nothing to complain about. "Unfortunately, no. If you head to the Alliance Tower though, you should find his ship stationed there. If he is not there, just hang around and wait for him. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

The one in the middle coughed, and glared angrily at the one to the left. "No thanks, we'll be going now."

With that, they turned and left.

Udina blinked. Had someone just been there? It probably wasn't important.

"That wasn't funny, Joe."

The man to Phillip's left, Joe Smith, looked completely innocent. "Why, what wasn't funny?"

"We were given strict rules, and you didn't even follow them for an hour." That was Emma Vine, the woman who finished the trio leaving the Human Embassy. "Come on, what were they?"

Joe remained innocent, his brown eyes still twinkling with hidden mirth under his shaggy fringe of red hair. "Well, we were told not to cause chaos, find and support Commander Shepard, and to keep a record of anything we deemed interesting."

Phillip stopped where he stood, and turned to face him. "We were also told to remain inconspicuous for as long as possible, and not to use our powers on people without good reason. So, with that in mind, would you care to explain to me just why Udina was so vacant and compliant?"

Joe's face fell, becoming more serious, and he rose from his customary slouch to his full height of five feet and eleven inches. "Unlike you two, I tend to plan ahead. Before leaving the ship, I looked into the file we have on Udina, and I determined that we were unlikely to get the information we needed. So, when we walked in, I…meddled."

Emma frowned at him pale face framed by her dark hair. "Exact changes, now."

"Upped compliance, downed inquisitiveness and perception."

Phillip shook his head. "I swear to Scion, one day you'll try that, and it won't work. Anyway, we should probably find the _Normandy_."

Emma nodded. "You two wait here, I'll go check it out."

She blinked away in a series of dark flashes, trailing their way across the Citadel

The three of them were an unofficial delegation from the _Imperator_ , in the sense that the _Imperator_ would not be held accountable for what they did. It was the best agreement that the Captain and the Council could come up with: Three people, sent out on a trial basis, to gather information for the _Imperator_ while official negotiations continued. Phillip Secnik, a Tinker with a specialisation in communications, was chosen to lead them.

"Why are we going with this Shepard guy, anyway?" Joe refused to keep quiet.

"Do you listen to anything we tell you? Like, ever?"

"No, not really, messing with people is _so_ much more fun."

Phillip sighed. "We're going with Shepard because it affords us an opportunity to see the galaxy, without having to worry about customs laws or travel documents. I've also been communicating with him, and he's willing to offer us employment, of sorts."

The dark flashes started approaching them again, culminating in the shape of their companion. She seemed out of breath, as she always did after going long distances. "He's there, though they seem to be loading up for a long trip, if the many crates are any indication."

Phillip nodded. "Alright then. Can you get us all there, or are you too tired?" With a minor twinge of guilt, he activated one of the various gadgets in his helmet, meant to convince any listeners that he was right.

She straightened. "I can carry one of you at a time, but not both. Who's going first?"

Without hesitation, Joe said "Phillip, of course. He's the leader, and also the one who seems to know about this Shepard guy."

Phillip shook his head. "Take Joe, he doesn't have any way of moving faster than normal. I'll try and meet you both at the _Normandy_ , but if it looks like they're about to leave, or you see the commander, stall for time. I should only be a couple of minutes."

Emma nodded, grabbed Joe's reluctant hand, and vanished again in a series of dark flashes.

"Dammit, where is he? It's been like ten minutes already!"

Emma nodded. When Phillip said that he had a way to get there on foot faster than Joe would, she kind of assumed he had some sort of plan, or at the very least a Tinkertech device of some sort. "Perhaps he saw a shiny gadget and got distracted. You know how Tinkers can get sometimes, and it'll only be worse when _everything's_ a shiny new gadget"

"I didn't expect it to take ten minutes to use two lifts!"

Suddenly, Joe's communicator pinged. "Who is this?" he asked, putting it on Public mode.

 _"It's Phillip. Look, long story short, I got arrested, and I need you to get me out of here. They don't know I'm from the_ Imperator _though, so try and keep that quiet."_

Emma sighed. "What did you do?"

 _"So, turns out they have these biological repair drones, and they have this truly_ fascinating _hive mind. I mean, I was wondering what that frequency was, but_ damn _."_

"Phillip Secnik, what in Scion's name did you do?"

 _"… I may have vivisected one. In public. Which is illegal. Anyway, that is_ so _not the point, so if you could come get me, that'd be great. Thanks!"_

The line clicked dead, and Joe sighed. "So, he calls me irresponsible for smoothing our path a bit, and he just goes ahead and performs a _public vivisection_ on an _unknown alien race_?"

"Yeah, we're never letting him live this down. Got a camera?"

"You bet your Mover ass I do."

"Eeeexcellent."

Phillip stood up when he saw Joe and Emma approaching. "Thanks for getting me guys. Emma, I owe you one. Joe, you still owe me several for what I've gotten you out of in the past. Anyway, am I free to go?"

The Turian on duty nodded. "Yes, your friends payed the fine. Just don't do it again, or your actions _will_ have consequences."

Joe nodded. "Don't worry sir, I'm sure it won't happen again."

After making their way back up the Alliance Tower to the _Normandy,_ they were in time to see a small group, a human flanked by a Krogan and a Quarian, about to board. Phillip waved at them and yelled "Commander Shepard! It's good to see you in person at last."

All three of them turned around, the Krogan and Quarian drawing guns. The human, who Joe presumed to be Shepard, merely nodded. "Mr. Secnik, I assume? You would be the crew I've been waiting for?"

Phillip nodded, ignoring the weapons still pointed at him. "Three Parahumans, at your service. I myself am a Tinker, and my good friends are a Mover and a Master. I believe you recall the terms of our agreement?"

Shepard nodded. "Indeed. You have some space to work, some materials, and we have supplies and accommodations for all three of you. So, will you be joining us?"

Joe looked at Phillip, who had turned around to look at the two of them. "Last chance to back out, no-one will think less of you." He said, glancing inquisitively at both Joe and Emma.

Emma was the one who answered that question. "Phillip, we have known each other for many years now. If you honestly expect me to stay behind while you run off into the wider galaxy, I will castrate you in your sleep."

Joe nodded. "Not much point in stopping now. 'Sides, I may have caused some trouble before we left, and I'd _really_ not want to be there when it climaxes."

Phillip nodded. "Then its settled. Commander!" he turned back around to face the other trio. "Permission to come aboard?"

Shepard nodded, and waved them closer. "Permission granted. Welcome to the _Normandy_."


End file.
